Showcasing NC State Faculty

The Celebration of Faculty Excellence is held each spring to recognize outstanding faculty who have received prestigious state, national and international awards, accolades or other distinctions during this academic year. This year, NC State honored 24 faculty members during the 2023 Celebration of Faculty Excellence on May 1.

Chancellor Randy Woodson presented the Alexander Quarles Holladay Medal for Excellence, NC State’s highest award recognizing faculty achievement.

The 2023 honorees were:

• Jerzy Bernholc, Drexel Professor, Department of Physics
• Mary Haskett, professor, Department of Psychology

Three NC State Board of Trustees members — Ann Goodnight, Perry Safran and NC State Student Body President McKenzy Heavlin — assisted in the presentation.

Jason Bocarro, the Owens-Shelton Distinguished Professor for Leadership with a Global Perspective in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, was recognized for receiving the University of North Carolina Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching, the most prestigious award given to faculty for teaching excellence. Bocarro, and NC State faculty member for 17 years, was also recently named director of the James Buzzard Leadership Development Program. His teaching philosophy revolves around building strong relationships with his students. He strongly supports the concept of bridge-building, both as a metaphor for developing relationships with students and other partners, and as a pedagogical strategy in terms of course content delivery. Bocarro deeply believes these personal and intellectual connections with his students “come from the heart” and that teachers should be “genuinely excited by the material, interested in the opinions and feedback of their students and committed to forming an atmosphere of mutual respect” both inside the classroom and beyond. Bocarro has received NC State’s Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Professor award and the Outstanding Teacher Award

Miles Engell, a teaching professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, won the Provost’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, the most prestigious award for exceptional teaching given to professional full-time faculty from among NC State’s 10 colleges and the University College. The award was established in 2021 to underscore the importance of teaching and to encourage, identify, recognize, reward, and support teaching within the university. Engell received the award for her focus on achieving student success while also challenging students and fostering a sense of community. A faculty member at NC State since 2006, Engell has received the university’s Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Professor award and the Outstanding Teacher Award. She is also a member of the Academy of Outstanding Teachers. As a mentor, she works with undergraduate students on honors projects, with graduate students on their research and writing, and she regularly serves as the academic advisor to approximately 35 undergraduate students. 

Bonnie Fusarelli, a professor in the Department of Educational Leadership, Policy, and Human Development, won the 2022 Gov. James E. Holshouser Jr. Award for Excellence in Public Service. The Holshouser Award is given to one UNC System faculty member each year who “exemplifies public service toward improving the quality of life for all North Carolinians.”

Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Warwick Arden also recognized the following honored faculty:

• Kristen Alff, assistant professor, Department of History: National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow
• David Ambaras, professor, Department of History: National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow
• Rodolphe Barrangou, Todd R. Klaenhammer Distinguished Professor in Probiotics Research, Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences: National Inventors Hall of Fame
• Nathan Crook, assistant professor, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: National Science Foundation Early Career Development (CAREER) Award
• Karen Daniels, Distinguished Professor, Department of Physics: Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program Award
• Colleen Doherty, associate professor, Department of Molecular and Structural Biochemistry: Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program Award
• Xiaolin Duan, associate professor, Department of History: National Humanities Center Fellow
• Srinath Ekkad, R.J. Reynolds Professor and head, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering: American Society of Mechanical Engineers Heat Transfer Memorial Award
• Frederico Freitas, associate professor, Department of History: National Humanities Center Fellow
• Jacqueline Hughes-Oliver, professor, Department of Statistics: American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow
• Jordan Kern, assistant professor, Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources: National Science Foundation Early Career Development (CAREER) Award
• Afsaneh Rabiei, professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, National Academy of Inventors Senior Member
• David Rasmussen, assistant professor, Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology: National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award
• Jean Ristaino, William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor, Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology: Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program Award
• Sindee Simon, Distinguished Professor and head, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow
• Charles Smith, associate professor, Department of Statistics: Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program Award
• Richard Spontak, Distinguished Professor, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Jefferson Science Fellowship
• Deyu Xie, professor, Department of Plant and Microbial Biology: American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow
• Yuntian Zhu, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Department of Materials Science and Engineering: National Academy of Inventors Fellow

2023 marks the twelfth year of the Celebration of Faculty Excellence. In recognition of all honored faculty, the university lit the Memorial Belltower red for the night on May 1.

This post was originally published in Provost's Office News.